Emails Not Received to Microsoft Accounts

[RoyalRumble]

Hi,

Since mid December, I've saw a big influx in comments regarding New Account Verification and Password Reset emails not being received.

I noted all these comments were Microsoft email accounts (Live, Hotmail, MSN)

On testing myself, it's not just a case of landing in junk/user error, no matter what I do I can't get any outgoing email from my forum to land in a Microsoft inbox.

I spoke with my hosts Nimbus, who checked server mail logs to confirm that emails are leaving the server destined for that address but have a status of 'Queued mail for delivery'

This would suggest that something at the remote end, exclusive to Microsoft emails is stopping the emails.

Does anyone have any ideas how I can resolve this?

 

[Carlos]

You're not alone. And this is not just to Microsoft accounts. I see a backcatalogue of "New Account Verification." I think there's a miscommunication between the server and xenForo itself. Because my server sent bounced e-mails back into my inbox that would read:

This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.
A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:
  <User's Email on Gmail>
    SMTP error from remote mail server after RCPT TO:<User's Email>:
    host gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com [IP ADDRESS]:
    550-5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist. Please try
    550-5.1.1 double-checking the recipient's email address for typos or
    550-5.1.1 unnecessary spaces. Learn more at
    550 5.1.1 http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?answer=6596 x81si9936957oig.19 - gsmtp
------ This is a copy of the message, including all the headers. ------
Return-path: <My send mail address>
Received: from <username> by <servername> with local (Exim 4.84)
        (envelope-from <My send mail address>)
        id 1Xt1HS-0005Hl-4F
        for <User's Email>; Mon, 24 Nov 2014 15:34:46 -0600
To: Username <User's e-mail>
Subject: CODForums Account Confirmation Required
X-PHP-Script: www.codforums.com/index.php for 2607:fb90:2b09:a70c:4ba5:b661:47e1:ac04, [IP ADDRESS]
From: CODForums <CODForums Contact Us Email>
X-To-Validate: 88137ed1+<User's Email>
Message-Id: <28a109782124071600aa466376790cd97d1808da@www.codforums.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:34:45 +0000
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="=_585b7040b9f61d5dcd0cc75b1e1368ed"
MIME-Version: 1.0
--=_585b7040b9f61d5dcd0cc75b1e1368ed
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<Username>,=0A=0AIn order to complete your registration at CODForu=
ms, you need to confirm your account by following the link below.=0A=0Ah=
<link to activate registration>
tqWN=0A=0AThanks for registering,=0ACODForums

 

[TPerry]

I noted all these comments were Microsoft email accounts (Live, Hotmail, MSN)
Does anyone have any ideas how I can resolve this?

First, you need to make sure you have 3 things working:
RDNS (Reverse DNS)
DKIM signing
SPF

Once you do that, then you will need to contact the folks at Hotmail/Live and tell them that your site (domain) email is going to spam. They can set up a temporary exclusion in their list until your IP/domain builds up some valid reputation. I had the same problem and after emailing them with the pertinent info (and having the 3 items above done) my mail appears to be going into the users accounts just fine.

You also need to make sure that you are NOT on any existing blacklists. If you are, you will either need to get those removed (and then do the above) or request a clean IP (the easiest to do) from your host.

You're not alone. And this is not just to Microsoft accounts. I see a backcatalogue of "New Account Verification." I think there's a miscommunication between the server and xenForo itself. Because my server sent bounced e-mails back into my inbox that would read:

Nope, email works fine if it's configured correctly

This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.
A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:
  <User's Email on Gmail>
    SMTP error from remote mail server after RCPT TO:<User's Email>:
    host gmail-smtp-in.l.google.com [IP ADDRESS]:
    550-5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist. Please try
    550-5.1.1 double-checking the recipient's email address for typos or
    550-5.1.1 unnecessary spaces. Learn more at
    550 5.1.1 http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?answer=6596 x81si9936957oig.19 - gsmtp

No, it just told you above what the problem is... that is an invalid email account.... not that it wasn't going to accept mail from you.
You need to examine that email and see if it's (the email address) valid or not. Try sending a test email from the CLI if you have access to SSH and see if your MTA passes it through or if it bounces back the same way.

 

[RoyalRumble]

First, you need to make sure you have 3 things working:
RDNS (Reverse DNS)
DKIM signing
SPF

Once you do that, then you will need to contact the folks at Hotmail/Live and tell them that your site (domain) email is going to spam. They can set up a temporary exclusion in their list until your IP/domain builds up some valid reputation. I had the same problem and after emailing them with the pertinent info (and having the 3 items above done) my mail appears to be going into the users accounts just fine.

You also need to make sure that you are NOT on any existing blacklists. If you are, you will either need to get those removed (and then do the above) or request a clean IP (the easiest to do) from your host.


Nope, email works fine if it's configured correctly



No, it just told you above what the problem is... that is an invalid email account.... not that it wasn't going to accept mail from you.
You need to examine that email and see if it's (the email address) valid or not. Try sending a test email from the CLI if you have access to SSH and see if your MTA passes it through or if it bounces back the same way.

Thank you very much.

 

[Carlos]

No, it just told you above what the problem is... that is an invalid email account.... not that it wasn't going to accept mail from you.
You need to examine that email and see if it's (the email address) valid or not. Try sending a test email from the CLI if you have access to SSH and see if your MTA passes it through or if it bounces back the same way.

Some potential users e-mailed me with the e-mail addresses that "bounced." So, it leads me to think there's a miscommunication going on.

I had to turn their accounts valid after they e-mailed me.

 

[TPerry]

Some potential users e-mailed me with the e-mail addresses that "bounced." So, it leads me to think there's a miscommunication going on.

I had to turn their accounts valid after they e-mailed me.

Did you check CLOSELY the email that they had in their profile compared to the one that you got the mail back from. Very simple misplaced letters or a space or period can cause that.
It's either that or your MTA is not configured correctly as I have absolutely no problems sending using Postfix to any account that has been registered.
If there is a "miscommunication" it's most likely on your server setup for your MTA.

The problem on the example you gave is simply that the email as you sent to their server is NOT adressed to a valid user. You have either installed an add-on that "plays with" the addresses at some point, or they typed it in wrong.

You still haven't stated whether you did a copy/paste of the email as it existed in your user profile for them and attempted to do a send from either another account or from your server CLI (I think you said you were on a VPS now). You would also need to check your MTA log to see how it was writing the outbound address to verify if it was being rewritten.

I'm guessing you didn't, and that you clearly ignored their suggestion that was included in the error message

550-5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist. Please try
550-5.1.1 double-checking the recipient's email address for typos or
550-5.1.1 unnecessary spaces.

It's just some of the basics of troubleshooting your own MTA on a VPS/dedi.

There is a nice package out called iRediMail that will allow you to set up a mail server. I'm about to roll it out on another VPS instance and relay all my outbound mail through it.

 

[Carlos]

Did you check CLOSELY the email that they had in their profile compared to the one that you got the mail back from.

Yup, same address.

Very simple misplaced letters or a space or period can cause that.
It's either that or your MTA is not configured correctly as I have absolutely no problems sending using Postfix to any account that has been registered.
If there is a "miscommunication" it's most likely on your server setup for your MTA.

The problem on the example you gave is simply that the email as you sent to their server is NOT adressed to a valid user. You have either installed an add-on that "plays with" the addresses at some point, or they typed it in wrong.

You still haven't stated whether you did a copy/paste of the email as it existed in your user profile for them and attempted to do a send from either another account or from your server CLI (I think you said you were on a VPS now).

Thanks.

 

[TPerry]

Thank you very much.

No problem... some additional information specific to Microsofts blocking can be found at
https://mail.live.com/mail/troubleshooting.aspx